Bee-hive



(No Model.) 2 sheets sheet 2. J. W. SILGOTT.

BBB HIVE.

Patented Oct. 17 1882 FFICE.

ATENI 'JOHN IV. SILCOTT, OF SNl-GKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA.

BEE-HIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,059, dated October17, 1882,

Application filed May 11, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SILco'r'r, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Snickersville, in the county of Loudoun and Stateof Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBee-Hives; and I do hereby declare the following to be a lull, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it apperta jns to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improved form of bee-hive, and the noveltyconsists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be morefully hereinafter setforth', and specifically pointed out in the claims.

This invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whichform a part of this specification, and in which-- Figure 1 represents atop plan view, partly in section, with the hinged cover open; Fig. 2, aperspective view of the sectional honey-box. Fig. 3 is an elevation,partly broken away to show the passages, the cover being thrown backundone of the honey-boxes removed; and Fig. 4, a detailed view of theconductor between the honey-box and the brood-chamber.

To allow others skilled in the art to which the invention relates tounderstand it, I will now describe its construction and mode ofoperation, reference being bad to the acconi pan ying drawings, in whichsimilar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

A represents the brood-section, to which is hinged a cover, A. Thebrood-section has the ordinary entrance, properly roofed, and theordinary alighting-board, and has open connections with each honey-boxthrough the honeyboard, which is placed above. The brood-section, beingof ordinary construction,forms no part of my invention, except as itserves in connection with the novel features which will now bedescribed. The honey-board A is provided with apertures b, which connectthe broodchamber with each of a series of honey-boxes, (J C, and theseapertures b may be closed at willby means of the slides B. When theslides B are not in use the holes left by their removal (No model.)

U, the latter being sectional; but it will be understood that others maybe used.

By my construction, when one of the honeyboxessay G-is filled theentranceto such box is closed by inserting the slide B, and the bees inthat box are forced to find their exit through the apertures 0 into theadjacent honey-box G, and when the bees are all out of the filledhoney-box G the plate D is inserted and the full box removedwithoutdisturbing the hive, the bees continuingtheir labor in theadjacent box 0. The box 0 is made in sections, of which the two endsections, 0, are rigidly secured together by means of bars 0 upon thetop and one side, and the intervening boxes or sections, 0 areremovable. interstices c are formed between the floor-boardsof theelevated floor, and a space left beneath said floor, as

shown.

In order to eliminate the bees' from the last honey-box C, I employ aglass -covered conductor, H, which has open communication with thehoney-box through the aperture 0 and to the brood chamber throughtheaperture K. Within this conductor H is arranged a crossbar, 1', havingan aperture, 1', in which operates the tongue I of the plate I, pivotedwithin the sides of the conductor. The entrance to the honey-box 0having been closed, the bees find their exit through 0 into theconductor, thence under the plate I, which allows their passage butprevents their return, and thence through K into the brood-chamber.

It will be observed that by this construction one or more honey-boxesmay be at all times open for the bees to labor in, and that thehoney-boxes may be removed when filled withhoney-box having connectingpassages with a conductor leading back to the brood-chamber, thecombination ofthe brood-section and honeybox with the slide B forclosing the entrance,

and means for allowing the exit and automatically preventing the returnof the bees from and to the said honey-box, as specified.

2. In a bee-hive, a series of honey-boxes arranged upon the honey-boardand having con necting passages with the brood-chamber and with eachother, combined with slides B, plate 1), and means for allowing theexit. of bees from the last box of the series and automaticallypreventing their return, as specified.

3. The sectional honey-box 0, having raised floor \vith interstices a,and composed of the rigid sections 0', connecting-bars c andintermediate sections, com hined with the broodsection, the honeyboardhaving aperture Z), and the slide B, as set forth.

at. The conductor H,having partition 1?, with aperture i, and thepivoted plate I, having tongue I, combined with the honeybox, thebrood-section and connections, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the brood-section and connected series ofhoney-boxes having communicatingapertures,oftheslidesB,hlocks B, theconductor H, pivoted plate I, and the plate D, as specified.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN \V. SILCOTT.

Witnesses:

H. CLAY SMITH, J. U. LALHROP.

